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Somerset disabled cricketer Andy Margetts is putting the finishing touches to his packing before he sets off shortly with the England Disabled Team for a tour of India.Thirty nine year old Andy who lives in Taunton is the only player from the Cider county who has been selected to make the thirteen day trip, during which England will play three Test matches against the host nation.Andy was a founder member of the Somerset Disabled Cricket Club, and over the last few years has represented his country on a number of occasions.Julian Bellew, the secretary of the Disabled Cricket Club told me: "It has been great for everybody at the club to have Andy playing for England. During the past season he has been outstanding and made a number of invaluable contributions for his country."All rounder Andy has also been in good form for Somerset in 2002, the highlight of which was a century against Hampshire, and helping the team to get through to the quarter finals of the national knock out competition before missing out to the Isle of Wight who were the losing finalists.Earlier this week Andy told me: "This is the chance of a lifetime and I am really looking forward to it. This will be the highspot of my cricket career and I’m aiming to make the most of it."Andy continued: " I have received a lot of sponsorship from various local organisations, including £200 from Somerset County Cricket Club, and I’m very appreciative of all the support that I have been given to help me make this trip."Chief executive Peter Anderson told me: "Somerset County Cricket Club are thrilled to bits that Andy has gained representative honours. This means that the Club are represented right through the national youth teams, in the women’s game and now in the disabled side, in fact it’s a clean sweep for Somerset."To celebrate their successful season Somerset Disabled Cricket Club are holding their annual dinner at the Civil Service Club in Taunton on Friday November 29th.Anyone wishing to attend the dinner should contact the club secretary Julian Bellew on 01460 54537.

Somerset supporter Barney Spender is appealing for sponsors in his bid to raise money for the Ben Hollioake Memorial Trust.The 39 year-old ,who was brought up in Kingsdon near Somerton, where he parents still live and writes for the Times, is to run the Athens Marathon on November 3 and hopes to raise £2,000 for the Trust which has been set up to commemorate the Surrey and England cricketer who was tragically killed in a car crash in Australia in March.”Ben’s death was a terrible tragedy not just for his family but for the whole cricketing community,” said Spender. “I didn’t know Ben personally but those I have spoken to who did have nothing but a warm regard for a young man who had tremendous cricketing potential. As someone who has mingled with the cricketing fraternity as a journalist for some 15 years now, I feel it is a right to do something to preserve that memory.”The Ben Hollioake Memorial Trust, which will be overseen by the LordsTaverners, will raise money for a number of projects such as aiding young cricketers, cancer research – something that was close to Ben’s heart following his mother’s fight against the disease – and animal welfare.Anyone who would like to help Barney reach his goal of £2000 can send a donation to:
Barney Spender
Ben Hollioake Memorial Trust
11a Athenlay Road
Nunhead
London SE15 3EA
(cheques payable to Ben Hollioake Memorial Trust)

Mark Ramprakash made it a day of misery for Somerset and consolidation for the Frizzell County Championship leaders as he made an unbeaten 199 for Surrey, including 26 boundaries, at Taunton. Ramprakash was supported by Nadeem Shahid (51) Adam Hollioake (87) and Rikki Clarke (60*) as Surrey reached 448 for five at the close. On a difficult day for the bowlers Simon Francis excelled for Somerset, with three for 80.Elsewhere the opening day of the latest round matches was badly hit by the weather. In Division One, Sussex reached 30 for two against Hampshire in the ten and a half overs possible at The Rose Bowl, while there was no play at all at Grace Road or Maidstone.Division Two leaders Essex performed creditably in the 79 overs that were possible at Swansea. Acting captain Darren Robinson made 72, putting on 95 for the first wicket with William Jefferson (43). Essex closed on 208 for three, with Robert Croft taking two of the wickets.An unbeaten partnership of 80 between Phil Weston and Graeme Hick took Worcestershire to 95 for one against Middlesex at Lord’s. Only 26 overs were possible at Derby, but that was enough to get Gloucestershire deep into trouble against the hosts’ customary tormentors, Dominic Cork and Kevin Dean. They shared the wickets as Gloucestershire subsided to 79 for five. And in the twelve overs possible at Northampton, Durham reached 35 without loss.

After two washed-out matches at Sabina Park, it was a relief to getsome cricket underway again with the third one-day international atthe Kensington Oval in Barbados. The pitch looked like a cracker, fullof runs and holding plenty of promise for a high-scoring one-dayer.Sourav Ganguly, the Indian captain, won the toss and, as expected,asked the West Indies to bat first.The hosts’ batting impressed me very little. The West Indian batsmen -perhaps as a result of their 2-1 Test win over India – looked overconfident and complacent. The batting on display oozed carelessness,and it was no surprise that the Indian bowlers capitalised on that tothe fullest extent.

I was particularly disappointed with Brian Lara and the way he jumpedout to Harbhajan Singh so early in his innings. It only showed thatLara wanted to hit Harbhajan out of the attack, even though he hadbeen at the wicket only for a couple of deliveries. Harbhajan himselfwas only in his second over at that point, and Lara’s wicket couldonly be attributed to a sever lack of self-confidence or, indeed, asupreme over-confidence.The Indian attack, for its part, looked particularly sharp andincisive. I was impressed especially with Tinu Yohannan, who struck meas a very quick learner. His line was excellent, and he was preparedto attack the batsman and make him play at the ball all the time. Inmy opinion, that is what good bowling is all about.The only West Indian batsman who seemed prepared to stick around andgraft his runs was the skipper, Carl Hooper. In possibly the form ofhis life, Hooper seemed to have no trouble at all with the pitch orthe bowling, and his partnership with Ramnaresh Sarwan, at one stage,looked to take the West Indies to a considerably strong total.Sarwan’s dismissal was the turning-point. After the youngster, noneappeared willing to stick with Hooper at the crease and give him thesupport he so desperately needed. Admittedly, he played a knock ofconsiderable brilliance, but even he must have known that onceShivnarine Chanderpaul – the West Indies’ Mr Dependable at the moment- was brilliantly run out, it was going to be an uphill struggle.India were helped in no small measure by the fact that the West Indiescould not bat out their full quota of overs. That in itself meant thatthe target was not going to be an imposing one.The Indian outfit during the match looked a very strong side. Thefielding was sharp, and the captaincy was spot-on. Ganguly’s bowlingchanges were well thought-out and effective. Once the work in thefield was done, the batsmen had to merely buckle down to their task,and that they did with great efficacy.

Ganguly himself played a good knock, but Dinesh Mongia, coming in atnumber three, was a revelation. We have seen his ability to unleashthe fireworks, but this was a calm and measured innings from theyoungster. Recognising the situation, he quickly adapted his game tocollect the runs at a steady rate, rarely panicking or slogging.With such an innings chasing such a moderate total, the Indian chasewas always going to end with a win. Mongia, with his all-rounderperformance, deserved the Man of the Match award in full. The WestIndies, going by their lacklustre approach to the match, will have todo something extraordinary if they are to come back in this series.

A magnificent innings of 177 from Michael Vaughan has enabled England to carry the fight to Australia on the first day of the second Ashes Test at the Adelaide Oval. After Nasser Hussain won the toss, England ended the day on 295 for four when Vaughan was caught at slip off Andy Bichel in the final over. Vaughan shared in an opening partnership of 88 with Marcus Trescothick (35) and added 140 with Hussain (47).Vaughan continued to show the form which has put the 28-year-old second behind Sachin Tendulkar on the run scorers’ list for the calendar year 2002. He outshone his England team-mates and outwitted the Australian bowlers, showing the way for other players and teams to play and beat Australia.The Yorkshire opener had some help from Australia. Their usually reliable fielders dropped six catches on what proved to be a beautiful batting track with true bounce. But Vaughan’s amazing innings included an array of shots to all parts of the ground.Trescothick and Vaughan got England off to a great start with a run rate of over three an over. They share a similar approach to the game to that of Justin Langer and Matthew Hayden, and Vaughan played much like Hayden did in the opening Test at Brisbane.Each was given a life in the first session. Three balls after smashing Bichel (1/67) for six, Vaughan sliced to Langer at gully where he appeared to take a great catch. Vaughan stood his ground and the matter was referred to third umpire Steve Davis. As the evidence was inconclusive, he gave Vaughan the benefit of the doubt. The decision could have changed the course of the game, with Vaughan going on to make his best score outside England.Trescothick then hit the ball hard to gully, where Hayden couldn’t hold on, allowing the ball to go through to the boundary. Bichel later claimed a return catch as Trescothick drove, and once again the third umpire was consulted. Replays clearly showed the ball bouncing before it reached Bichel and Trescothick was ruled not out.Shane Warne was brought into the attack earlier than expected, and the leg-spinner went for nine in his first over. It was Glenn McGrath made the much-needed breakthrough, bowling Trescothick off the bottom edge as the opener’s luck ran out.Robert Key, playing in place of the injured John Crawley, was promoted to number three because Mark Butcher was suffering from a migraine. Key and Vaughan took England to lunch at 1/94, but Key had made just one when he drove Warne into the shin of Ricky Ponting who caught the ball at the third attempt. Key stood his ground but the umpires confirmed the bad news.This brought skipper Hussain to the crease and he took a back seat, enjoying the Vaughan show. The Yorkshire opener brought up his fifth century in nine Tests with a push to mid off. It was his sixth Test hundred in all, and included two sixes and 12 fours. In 12 matches he has made just under 1200 runs.Vaughan and Hussain took England to tea on 2/201. The Australians made it harder for themselves again in the second session, dropping two catches and missing the chance of a run out.Needing a breakthrough, Steve Waugh decided to bowl himself, but after five overs the skipper had some discomfort in his shoulder and returned the ball to Jason Gillespie, who still appeared troubled by his calf injury. When Vaughan ducked into a short ball he was hit on the shoulder, dropping his bat and crouching on the ground in pain.Hussain, tied down as he approached 50, gave Warne his second wicket when he was caught behind off the bottom edge on 47, trying to cut. Butcher, showing no effects from his migraine, took boundaries with his first two scoring shots and with Vaughan continued to punish the toiling bowlers.It was a clever bowling change that finally undid Vaughan, after Gillespie and McGrath had failed to break through with the new ball. Waugh turned to Bichel for the last over of the day, and Vaughan pushed defensively at the Queenslander’s third ball, which carried to Warne at first slip.England played some great cricket today, but they also had a lot of luck. Day two should be a cracker with a new batsman at the crease and Australia hungry for more wickets. England will need to bat positively, with Australia’s batsmen eager for their turn on a beautiful wicket.

ScorecardAfter looking set for a good finish, following an enterprising declaration by Luke Sutton, Lancashire’s match against Nottinghamshire faded away into a draw on a pitch that, even after four days, did not provide enough assistance for the bowlers. A classic over from Dominic Cork, where he claimed three wickets, gave the home side brief hope of victory, but they were unable to maintain their advantage and Nottinghamshire finished comfortably on 178 for 4.Lancashire, 146 for 4 overnight, with Faf du Plessis and Steven Croft at the crease, began with an air of briskness that was a little deceptive. The batsmen couldn’t find the boundary, and finally a lofted drive from Croft off Graeme Swann found the fielder at a fairly deep mid-on instead. The first hour brought 57 runs, which was probably below the target. Sutton settled in before beginning to open up, while du Plessis reached his 50 off 82 balls.Sutton surprised most people by declaring more than half an hour before lunch, as he lofted a catch to cover and was dismissed for 38, leaving du Plessis unbeaten on 53. One observer said, quite seriously, that it was the most positive declaration he had seen from Lancashire in years. Certainly it left Nottinghamshire with an interest in the game, as they were set 315 runs in a minimum of 73 overs, and set up the match for an interesting afternoon.Nottinghamshire handled the six overs before lunch confidently, scoring 32 without loss, mostly off the wayward Sajid Mahmood. Paul Franks was sent in to open with Will Jefferson, whose regular partner Matt Wood had been forced off the field just before the declaration after taking a powerful blow in the back at short leg. With Adam Voges also injured, this may have been a factor in prompting Sutton’s early declaration.Cork again took centre stage, although perhaps pushed the boundaries with some of his appealing. He put up a major performance when shouting for a catch at the wicket when Jefferson hooked on 12, celebrating noisily with his team-mates without even looking at the umpire, who had not moved his finger.Jefferson swung Keedy for six over midwicket, but then moved across his stumps to be trapped lbw by the rampant Cork for 26. Then Mark Wagh was caught down the leg side second ball, but the best was yet to come. Next was the ball of the day, a superb inswinger that Samit Patel could only edge onto his stumps. Cork had taken three wickets in four balls, and this one over shattered all Nottinghamshire’s hopes of victory.Franks and Chris Read now concentrated on survival, and they successfully steadied a very shaky ship. They survived almost until tea, when Franks fell for 42 to the leg-spin of du Plessis, Lancashire’s second spinner in this match. Franks deserved great credit for the way he handled his unaccustomed role, but his departure brought in Voges, nursing a painful hand.However, it proved to be the last wicket of the day. Rather strangely, Cork was not brought back for a second spell until after tea, without success. The pitch was just a little too placid and a potentially good fizzled out into a rather dull draw, as Read (71) and Voges (19) comfortably batted out time against bowlers without the inspiration or assistance to do further damage.Sutton, whose declaration was about as well-timed as could have been expected without the benefit of hindsight, called it a day with 11 overs still to go. Nottinghamshire were left grateful that their middle order, after failing them in the first innings, had now come to their rescue. The atmosphere on the field was not always pleasant during the four days, and the umpires could have been a little more proactive in encouraging the right spirit.

For techno lovers the ICC Champions Trophy will offer a glimpse of cricket’s brave new world.But romantics are less enthused as the game braces itself for a radical and controversial experiment with television technology.For the first time field umpires will be allowed to refer a multitude of decisions to the television umpire, including lbw and bat-pad appeals, as well as suspected bump balls and even catches to the wicket-keeper.Despite some opposition, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has identified the tournament as the perfect opportunity to move the “technology” debate forward.ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed said when announcing the plan: “The ICC is going about it with an open mind. We don’t want to make umpires robots, we are only offering the best use of technology to assist them in their decision-making. Everyone wants to see the right decisions are made. If it is not successful, we will discontinue it.”In consultation with the broadcasters and umpires, the ICC has drawn up guidelines, detailing what aspects of particular decisions can be referred.The ICC cricket operations manager, Dave Richardson, said: “We have prepared a detailed guide on which aspects can be referred and the television producer knows what replay will be required for different decisions.””For lbw decisions the third umpire is not there to decide whether the ball is going to hit the stumps, only to judge whether the ball pitched outside leg or whether the batsmen nicked the ball,” he said. “This will help eliminate most of the mistakes made.”For catches at the wicket, the umpires should only refer when trying to decide whether the ball touched bat, body or clothing. If they don’t believe that the ball hit anything then they should rule ‘not out’ without recourse to the television umpire.The one area where television has proven limitations is catches close to the ground. Even with super slow replays it’s often impossible to tell whether the ball has kissed the ground. The ICC now wants the field umpires to be the sole judge of whether such catches are cleanly taken.The experiment is welcomed wholeheartedly by the South Africans, the pioneers in the use of television replays.Captain Shaun Pollock argued: “At some stage we have to try it and see how well it works. From the players’ perspectives we want to see the best decisions made and if technology can do that without taking too much time, I’m all for it. This is a good chance to find out.”But other players and captains have concerns. “Now it’s ‘howzat!’ – it will become just a plain ‘how is that?’ The beauty of appealing, that will be gone,” worried Wasim Akram, one of the world’s great appealers.”Guys like Shoaib (Akhtar), Brett Lee, going up in full flow, that will finish.”West Indies captain Carl Hooper is troubled about its effect on the umpires.”In lbw decisions, I want umpires to have a say. I hate to see umpires being pushed to one side. We should not be totally dependent on technology.”The ICC, though, argues that the umpire remains in charge.”They cannot shirk responsibility and become dependent upon the television umpire. When they refer they should be 90 per cent sure that the batsman is out and when replays are inconclusive they will have to make a decision.”Moreover, Richardson envisages a time when viewers could listen in to the communication between the umpires, adding another dimension to the cricket watching experience.”The umpires would be happy as people would gain an understanding of the thought processes that went into the decision,” he said.Australian skipper Ricky Ponting and Pakistan’s Waqar Younis are concerned that the increased use of the third umpire will slow down play even further.”As it is, it’s hard to get through 50 overs in time,” Ponting said.The ICC realises that there is a danger of slowing down the game and is demanding that decisions are made quickly, requiring a maximum of two replays and 20 seconds.Richardson denies that the time scale is ambitious.”We think it is pretty realistic now that we’ve worked out exactly what aspects of particular decisions can be referred and what camera angle to use.”Even if successful during this tournament, Richardson believes such a wide use of technology would be difficult outside of ICC managed tournaments.”I have my doubts over whether it will be feasible or practical throughout international cricket. During this tournament we can do it because we control the broadcaster but what happens during a series where there are only three cameras?” he said.Likewise, he does not expect the use of technologies such as Hawk Eye in the near future.”Hawk Eye is a great coaching aid for the umpires and provides excellent entertainment. It’s probably more accurate than a person but it’s very expensive and you have to draw the line somewhere – we still want the skill of the umpire to come through.”Richardson is hopeful that the experiment proves successful but warns against unrealistic expectations.”We are not going to solve the problem for those who want definite answers all the time – they will not be satisfied. But the crux of the matter is whether the umpires came to the right decision.”

KARACHI, Nov 17: Pakistan’s champion wicket-keeper/batsman Rashid Latif hasbeen given a green signal to resume playing, quashing fears that hiscricketing career was over.Rashid was forced out of the current Test series last week in Zimbabwe withrecurrence of an old neck problem.The 34-year-old stalwart told that doctors in South Africa gave him the ‘go ahead’ to return to active cricket within a week after extensive physiotherapy considerably eased the discomfort in his neck and leftshoulder.”I am going to Lahore on Tuesday where PCB’s panel of doctors will examineme whether I can rejoin the Pakistan team at the earliest,” Rashid said. “Ihad already faxed the reports of the South African specialists to the PCB.”Rashid, who returned home Saturday night, was sent to Johannesburg (SouthAfrica) on the recommendation of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)’s chairman, LtGen Tauqir Zia, for a thorough check up by specialists.”The doctors in South Africa have told me that I can join the team inZimbabwe by the 23rd of this month for the one-day series,” Rashid said.PCB took a timely decision to contact the United Cricket Board of SouthAfrica and arranged for appointments with specialists in Johannesburg andPretoria.The South African specialists, Dr Carl S van Heerden (a neurosurgeon) andDr Thys de Beer, an expert in shoulder injuries, after conducting three daysof comprehensive tests, which included scans and related examinations cameto the conclusion that there is nothing seriously wrong with Rashid.Cricket circles here were anxious when initial reports from Harare indicatedthat Rashid’s playing career was threatened by a neck problem that couldhave paralysed the former Pakistan skipper for ever.Rashid, a salient part of Pakistan side since his comeback after athree-year hiatus in April 2001 when he was kept out by his arch rival MoinKhan, vehemently denied that he was injured before the team left forZimbabwe.”Actually the problem arose when I had nets in cold and rainy conditions inHarare. I felt a sudden numbness in my left shoulder. “Then I realised thatsomething was seriously wrong here and that I shouldn’t play until I feltfine. At first I was told my injury was a career threatening one,” Rashidexplained.On instructions of Pakistan coach Richard Pybus and physiotherapist DennisWaight, an initial diagnosis indicated the cervical nerves in Rashid’s neckwere affecting his left shoulder.”I could risk permanently paralysing my left shoulder if I continued playingand it left me worried which is why I opted to pull out of the Zimbabwetour,” a worried Rashid said.Rashid also appeared as a guest player in a Ramazan cricket tournament atUBL Sports Complex Sunday.”I just wanted to check for myself how I felt. Thank God, I did not feel anyproblem at all despite the fact I did some running in the field,” Rashidnoted with satisfaction.Rashid sounded optimistic as regards his rejoining the Pakistan squad afterPCB’s panel of doctors, Tauseef Razzaq, Meesaq Rizvi and Sohail Saleem,examine him on Tuesday.”I am extremely hopeful of rejoining my team-mates for the one-day series inZimbabwe and South Africa. If not, then my target would be the Tests inSouth Africa,” he hoped.Rashid further more praised Kamran Akmal, his understudy who is playing inZimbabwe Tests. “Kamran is a fast learner and is capable of improvingfurther. I see a bright future for this kid.”Rashid, who has played in 34 Tests and 140 One-day Internationals since hisdebut in 1992, expressed the hope that he will play in the World Cup earlynext year. “I want to play in the World Cup in South Africa and hopefullyPakistan will do very well there.”Rashid was on the sidelines during the last World Cup in England three yearsago, having played in the unsuccessful campaign in 1996, hosted jointly byPakistan, India and Sri Lanka.Pakistan lost a tense quarterfinal to old rivals India in Bangalore by 39runs with Rashid hitting two sixes in a run-a-ball innings of 26 before hewas stumped by Nayan Mongia off slow left-armer Venkatapathy Raju.

Somerset’s fast bowling crisis deepened this morning when Graham Rose reported that he had a tight hamstring and was unlikely to be able to bowl on the final day of the championship match against Yorkshire at Scarborough.It also seems unlikely that the 38 year old will play in the Sabres NUL game against Yorkshire Phoenix tomorrow in the hope that he will be available if required for the Cheltenham and Gloucester quarter-final against Worcestershire at Taunton on Wednesday.Fast bowlers Andrew Caddick and Richard Johnson are already on the injured list, but both hope to be fit for Wednesday’s big match.The situation has been compounded by injuries to Pete Trego and Joe Tucker, who would normally have been drafted in to fill the vacancy left by `Rosie’s’ injury.Rather than risk Graham Rose in tomorrow’s match the Cidermen were left with a fast bowling dilemma.Chief executive Peter Anderson told me this morning: “Kevin Shine told me about the Graham’s injury problem, and we discussed a number of options. In the end we decided to go for youth, and re-signed Paul Jarvis as cover for the match tomorrow, and have him for Wednesday if needed!”Thirty seven year old Jarvis is an experienced campaigner, having played in nine test matches and sixteen one day internationals during a twenty year career in the first class game. He began his career at Yorkshire in 1981, before moving onto Sussex in 1994. He joined the Cidermen in 1999 but retired at the end of the 2000 season.Since leaving Somerset, Jarvis has kept himself in good physical shape and plays cricket professionally in South Wales.Meanwhile tickets for the quarter final on Wednesday are selling steadily, and by the end of yesterday nearly 3500 had been sold.With a good weather forecast, and a fascinating match in prospect the advice to anyone who intends to be at the County Ground on Wednesday is to purchase their ticket in advance.

Stephen Harmison’s inclusion in today’s Test team marks a significant step in the ECB & Durham Cricket Academy’s bid to nurture future England stars.Since its establishment six years ago, the Academy has played a major part in creating the youngest average age County squad in the country and spawned a number of players that have represented England at various international levels, most recently Gordon Muchall for England Under 19s.The Club’s pursuit of excellence received a boost last year when Durham wasnamed one of seven First Class Counties to form part of a new national network of ECB County Cricket Academies. The aim of the Academy is to identify cricketers who have the potential of playing at the highest level of the game and to deliver a comprehensive development programme which will provide them with the opportunity of fulfilling their potential.Stephen joined the Durham Academy in 1996 before progressing to the Durhamplaying staff in 1998.